Xi Jinping of China will not attend the G20 summit, resulting in no meeting with Biden.
Chinese President Xi Jinping to Skip G20 Summit in India
Chinese President Xi Jinping will not be attending the highly anticipated G20 summit in New Delhi, India this weekend. Instead, Premier Li Qiang will represent China at the international economic cooperation forum, according to the nation’s foreign ministry.
“As has been announced just now, Premier Li Qiang will lead a delegation to the New Delhi G20 Summit in India. The G20 is an important forum for international economic cooperation. China has all along attached great importance to and taken an active part in G20 events,” foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said during a Monday press conference. “During this year’s G20 Summit, Premier Li Qiang will share China’s views and propositions on G20 cooperation, and promote greater solidarity and cooperation among G20 countries and joint response to global economic and development challenges.”
Mao did not provide a specific reason for Xi’s absence when questioned about it.
Last week, reports emerged stating that Xi’s decision to skip the summit was seen as a rebuke to host India. This comes after India surpassed China as the world’s most populous nation earlier this year. President Joe Biden expressed his disappointment at Xi’s absence, as the summit was expected to be an opportunity for the two leaders to meet. However, no alternative date has been set for their meeting.
The last time Biden and Xi met in person was during last year’s G20 summit in Indonesia. Since then, tensions between the United States and China have escalated, with the recent controversy surrounding a Chinese spy balloon further straining relations. In an effort to mend ties, several senior Biden administration officials, including Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo, have visited China.
“We are in a fierce competition with China at every level, and anyone who tells you differently is naive,” Raimondo told NBC’s Meet the Press on Sunday. “All of that being said, we have to manage this competition. Conflict is in no one’s interest. We need to manage the competition responsibly. That’s good for America. That’s good for the world.”
In addition to Xi’s absence, Russian President Vladimir Putin will also not be attending the G20 summit. Instead, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov will represent Russia. Putin currently faces an International Criminal Court arrest warrant over alleged war crimes in Ukraine.
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